The number of Cubans trying to reach America in makeshift rafts has soared amid fears that the US could soon end a generous immigration policy that protects exiles from deportation. US Coast Guard officials say they have intercepted 421 Cuban migrants since December 17, when President Obama

Penniless from a costly divorce, Jason Duval was on the verge of being jailed for failing to pay the $450 (£300) that he owed in court fees after being arrested on drug charges. Fortunately for him, the case was heard by a somewhat charitable judge who told him that he could avoid prison by

A Republican White House contender is resorting to cyberwarfare to keep pace with his rivals. Rand Paul, a senator for Kentucky, has bought advertising space on Google and Twitter so that links to his websites appear when searching for other candidates. The first target was Jeb Bush, who last

Police have shot a man dead in San Francisco after mistaking an air gun he was holding for a real weapon. It was the latest in a series of incidents that have provoked demonstrations across America against police violence, fuelled by the perception that officers were targeting black men. The race

A seven-year-old girl walked for nearly a mile in near-freezing temperatures to search for help after surviving an air crash that killed the rest of her family. Sailor Gutzler was dressed in only a short-sleeved shirt, shorts and one sock when she emerged, bleeding and with a broken wrist, from

Newly-emboldened Republicans plan to torpedo President Obama’s hopes of striking a nuclear bargain with Iran once they take over the reins of Congress this week. The party returns to Capitol Hill tomorrow with a majority in both the House and Senate for the first time in Mr Obama’s presidency.

The United States has imposed new sanctions on North Korea after the devastating cyberattack on Sony. The move targets the nation’s spy agency and a defence industry research firm, as well as ten North Korean government officials, including individuals working in Iran, Syria, China, Russia and

A young man beheaded his mother with an axe because she was nagging him to do household chores, police say. Christian Gomez, 23, who had a history of mental illness, has been charged with first-degree murder after admitting that he had killed her at home in Florida on New Year’s Eve. Officers

Jeb Bush has stepped down from a number of corporate boards and is winding down his business interests, in a move calculated to boost his expected bid for the White House. It is a significant step for the former Florida governor, who has spent the past eight years immersed in business ventures

Five detainees at the US military jail at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have been released to Kazakhstan in the Obama adminstration’s latest move towards ultimately closing the base. Three Yemenis and two Tunisians were held for more than a decade at the facility in Cuba, despite being identified as